I’ve been accused of refusing to review Ben Stein’s documentary “Expelled,” a defense of Creationism, because of my belief in the theory of evolution. Here is my response.
Ben Stein, you hosted a TV show on which you gave away money. Imagine that I have created a special edition of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” just for you. Ben, you’ve answered all the earlier questions correctly, and now you’re up for the $1 million prize. It involves an explanation for the evolution of life on this planet. You have already exercised your option to throw away two of the wrong answers. Now you are faced with two choices: (A) Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, or (B) Intelligent Design.
Because this is a special edition of the program, you can use a Hotline to telephone every scientist on Earth who has an opinion on this question. You discover that 99.975 of them agree on the answer (A). A million bucks hangs in the balance. The clock is ticking. You could use the money. Which do you choose? You, a firm believer in the Constitution, are not intimidated and exercise your freedom of speech. You choose (B). - Roger Ebert
If there was one noticeable trend in cover art last year, it was the rise of the close-up (there are a half-dozen on this list). And you can’t get much closer than in Lee Bermejo’s beautifully grotesque cover to the Joker orginal graphic novel. The yellowed, jagged teeth, the smeared lipstick and the razor nicks, or pimples, on The Joker’s neck — viewed at close proximity — combine to make the Clown Prince of Crime seem very real. And that’s more than a little disconcerting.
“Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.” - Edwin Way Teale (page five)
As a single male living in an 800 square foot condo, I was paying $792 for my mortgage and $192 for my association fee (cable included). Add another $100 for utilities. Keeping in mind that the recommended ratio of rent/mortgage to income is 2:5, I would have to net $2250/month to be safe. At the time of my ownership I grossed roughly $31,000. Including $100/month for health insurance and other similar monthly costs, federal tax @ 15% and state tax @ 7.05%, my net would then be roughly $23230, or $1936/month. On top of that, in maintaining a vehicle, affording gas and keeping it insured, the expense of doing could easily be $300/month (average including yearly repairs).
So between rent and transportation, my monthly costs were roughly $1380, or about 70% of my take-home pay.
In maintaining relationships at work, it’s often necessary (and fun) to go out with co-workers during lunch or after work, further adding to monthly food/drink expenses. If I were to have gone out twice a week for lunch and once a week for a happy hour, that could have easily added $40/week to expenses. I was fairly frugal in grocery purchases, but unnecessary expenses including alcohol, pop and other snacks could have easily put me at about $150/month.
So my monthly food/drink costs were roughly $310. Food, transportation and rent consumed roughly 87% of my take-home pay.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but I decided to make the purchase a top-of-the-line elliptical machine which, after warranty and taxes, cost $1750. It was purchased with a 15-month 0% financing period, so there was no interest paid (interest accrued, but not paid). With the hope that I would have it paid off in a 15-month period, so as to avoid paying any interest, monthly payments would have been roughly $117 if paid on schedule.
With the addition of the elliptical to my other expenses, 93% of my income was allocated.
With the additional cost of $45/month for high-speed internet, I left myself with less than $100 a month (4%) in my pocket. The problem is that there are always other expenses.
I was forcing myself to continue working at the job I disliked to afford the things that I “needed”… though even at that, I was not able to afford the lifestyle I had. And I was conservative compared to many of the horror stories out there. All the same, with zero savings things could have spiraled out of control given any sort of disaster. By eliminating some of those “needs” I was able to reduce the “labors of life.”
If you simplify your schedule to make room for the things you love, you’ll be running around less, you’ll be less stressed, and you’ll have less need for the “de-stressing” activities that many of us undertake after a long day or week of work: shopping, drinking, partying, going out to expensive entertainment, and so on. You can relax and have fun in other ways that don’t cost a lot of money. (page six)
How many times have I said, “I need a drink” or gone out because “it’s been a rough week”? When I began to start having rough weeks that were honestly rough I had to learn to work towards a healthy solution. Not only did those words, “I need a drink,” stop coming out of my mouth, but more importantly - my mind stopped leaning on those types of crutches.
“Who is rich? He who rejoices in his portion.” - The Talmud (page eight)
I looked up to those who enjoyed a higher level of income than I had because of the belief that with wealth comes happiness. While having financial freedom gives you more control in your life, wealth doesn’t necessarily mean financial freedom. To understand that happiness is inside of you, inside all of us, and that there is nothing anyone can do to take that away from you gave me the relief to stop seeking external happiness through wealth.
Make people a priority. (page eight)
Track your successes. (page nine)
It’s so easy to forget the good, and get down on oneself - but by tracking a reminder of the good, thoughts of such are less likely to be outweighed by the bad.
Live in the moment. (page nine)
The last five months of my life have been based on this theme. The moment where you catch yourself fully into the moment is one of the best in the world. Being present, and realizing that you are in control of your thoughts is vital - everything outside of the moment is imaginary, or an illusion. Not that there aren’t lingering consequences from the past, or times where it’s important to plan for the future, but the now is the only thing that is real.
Smaller house or apartment… Rent rather than own. (page 15)
I am still in a transition, and this is a process that I’m still in the midst of. With over eight hundred square feet in my condo, I had a lot of room for myself. My previous apartment had been around 700 square feet, the difference between the two being a dining room. A dining room which I used less than ten times during my stay. In buying I added the extra room that I didn’t use, which I paid for, and added the accessories to go along with it - dining room table and chairs and a bookshelf. I will have none of those things as I move into my next apartment, wherever it might be. I sold the table and chairs, the bookshelf and there’s no use to having the empty space occupied by a dining room.
Saturday Night Live, Season 31 Episode 12, Original Air Date 02/04/2006, Commercial: Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford (via)
Eliminate and avoid debt. (page 18)
Without the help of others and a bit of luck I would be in a world of hurt right now. Fortunately I was able to sell my condo given the current real estate conditions, closing last month. Without that, everything in my life could have fallen apart. I purchased the condo as a foreclosure, and did all of the repairs myself, which made things a little more cost effective when originally making the purchase. Additionally, working with a seasoned real estate veteran, and friend, we searched for months before making a quick decision based on the property’s good location, association and price. All of the parts came together with luck, but as the quote goes “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” The result was a small profit that allowed me to pay off my outstanding debt.
I was able to sell what had become one of the worst purchases of my life, that $1700 elliptical, for about half of its original purchase price. To make up the rest of the outstanding balance I sold my truck, a 1991 Chevy Silverado, which had been “well-loved” since I first purchased it in 2001. Still, the process entailed more than just buying, selling and paying off debt. I had to prioritize my debt, paying off the debt with the highest interest rates first, leaving the interest free financing until last, no matter the balance. And the remainder that was left over after all was said and done with helped pay off the 0% interest loan.
The spending plan. I don’t like to use the word “budget” because it strikes fear in the hearts of many readers, and blank stares in the eyes of others. Instead, I like the term “spending plan”, because it conjures images of creating a plan to achieve a goal, taking action, and doing something about your problems. But basically: figure out how much you make, and consciously decide how you want to spend it this month. My plan actually budgets out each paycheck, because a monthly budget wasn’t useful to me: if I only do a budget for a month, how do I know what to pay when my first paycheck comes out? I like to be more specific. Anyway, the spending plan is essential. You have to decide where your money is going to go before you actually spend it. It was when I was spending without a plan that I got into trouble. And remember: a plan should be flexible, and have wiggle room, because life changes. (page 20)
Now that I’ve eliminated my debt, this is the next step for me - one that I’m keeping in mind while I continue my search for the best apartment I can afford. Now that my income is no longer guaranteed based on a salary, I am becoming increasingly careful with its allocation. Once I’ve secured an apartment I’ll finalize my spending plan, breaking down the essentials and what they’re going to cost me. This time around, I hope I can afford them.
(This is a recap for personal use, a notch on a timeline, a status marker to come back to at a later date. In September of 2008 I began a short-lived blog called sftfcs. I captured what was essentially my first reflection on this subject in a post titled A Journey Into Declutterization: Part One. I’ve archived it here.)
Citizenship in a Republic: Governor Palin’s theme is inspiring for large numbers of Americans who see her for what she is; an acomplished, moral, and capable politician who showed up on the scene primarily on her own power-an unusual undertaking in our modern Republic.
The Hate People: Honestly, why does this woman scare liberals so much? I don’t know AND I don’t care, Sarah Palin does and that is all that really matters. Liberals today are some of the most narrow minded, self centered and selfish group of people in the world today not to mention that they suffer from delusions of godliness.
Strong female role model for my girls: It’s nice to see a smart, brave woman who can deal with some real ugliness spewed on her and come out looking and smelling better than a rose. And it shows my girls you can be pretty, smart and secure all at the same time
Wow, Sarah is a Superstar: Sarah is a true American. Sarah worked her way up from the bottom. Sarah is America’s top rated Governor, it’s no wonder this is so popular. It is also no wonder why the left is so full of hate for her. Sarah is a giant and the left know it. The libtards come out of the woodwork to trash a real woman. Buy this and you will not be disappointed. It’s no wonder why this is a top rated item. If the libtards didn’t fear her, they would ignore her. This is a woman that is a proven leader.
Palin=Reagan. Back to Conservative Basics: I have my calendar on the way. Thanks to the election of 2008 the Conservative base has been energized. Governor Palin single-handedly walked into the National Spotlight and saved the Republican Party. We lost, but we fought. She put the fire back into us. We are looking forward to the future. I have two teenage daughters, both have become more interested in Politics thanks to the 2008 Election. Thanks in the larger part to Governor Palin. Tennessee Loves Palin. Palin in 2012.
Sarah Palin - Culture Warrior: Sarah Palin is a great example for girls and women of all ages! She is a self-made woman, smart, hard-worker, kind, a wonderful mother to her children, and strong. The leftists despise her for these very attributes. It’s sad to say but their fear and loathing of her speaks volumes about their own parenting. Long live Sarah!
This is far nicer than the 2009 Barack Obama Wall Calendar. I guess the Palin’s have higher standards.
Not bad: I enjoyed the calendar, however, I’d prefer in a skirt with some high heels showing off those nice legs. She is hot right wing babe who should show her assets.
